Anyone interested in the data story and how consumers will grasp the power of data in their lives, will want to keep an eye on Google Now. this is one of the bolder steps into the realm of the digital valet.

Newly appointed Core Audience CEO Adam Lavelle wants to rule the management audience data space. "I love getting up in the morning, making great stuff, and seeing customer experiences continue to improve," he says, explaining that 80% of the experiences online "stink."

For 15 years publishers offered personalized Web experiences that few people wanted. On devices, custom experience may not be mandatory, but over time we will find ourselves gravitating toward media that feels personalized.

God help brand marketers who believe lone searches on engines at the bottom of the funnel will produce the awareness needed for consumers to find and purchase products. On Wednesday, eXelate will introduce maX Brand, a service that taps billions of consumer lifestyle, brand affinity, social and shopping behavior data points to help companies find potential customers who don't know about the brand.

In a cluttered market with too many solutions providers and too many meetings, veteran digital salesman Greg Coleman, now President of retargeting firm Criteo, finds he has to refine his pitch. Now it's all about the numbers.

In a world of apps, we have the opportunity to craft advertising that enhances interactivity rather than merely interrupts it. The trick will be building integrated ads that still enhance in-app experiences while also achieving scale.

eXelate has begun to research long-tail services that would provide local businesses with an automated self-serve audience targeting and modeling systems. The platform, and others like it, would allow local retail and service companies to input information to build custom audience segments. "I'm a dentist that works at this location who specializes in braces; build an audience block for me," said Mark Zagorski, CEO at eXelate. "We want to achieve that goal."

Forget for a second whether Microsoft's decision to turn Do Not Track flagging on by default in IE 10 sets back other industry efforts. The larger issue is how we are defining consumer "choice" in the privacy debate.